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Hamburg - Hanseatic Specialties at Friesenkeller

I went into Friesenkeller at the Alster Arcades without any particularly high expectations - after all, it's located in the heart of Hamburg's tourist district: the waters of Kleine Alster flowed by outside its windows and the Rathaus loomed impressively in the background.

But somehow, I sort of know Friesenkeller will get things right from thefirst moment I stepped in there - the way the wait-staff greet customers efficiently and warmly with smiles all round, friendliness seemingly emanating from their pores.

I chose a couple of typical Hamburg specialties:

- Aalsuppe (eel soup) to start with. It was every bit as I expected: a clear warm broth, sourish from the use of prunes, dried apricots & other fruits to flavor it, and dotted with generous pieces of smoked eel and soft potato dumplings. The portion was generous - practcially enough for two.

- Main course was the Labskaus: chopped smoked beef, potatoes, beetroot and other vegetables until it resembled a pink mush, then served topped with a couple of fried eggs, and a selection of pickled sweet gherkins, beetroot & pickled herring on the side.